Mumbai: A BMC veterinary team has been searching for two missing stray dogs in Andheri (E) after displacing them from their original location. Animal activists filed a police complaint, prompting the team to locate the dogs, which were taken for sterilisation but never returned.
About The Case
On January 24, The Free Press Journal reported an animal welfare activist’s allegations against the BMC for relocating strays after sterilisation. That same day, a team from the BMC’s Deonar abattoir picked up two dogs from TCS Banyan Park in Gundavali, assuring they would be returned after vaccination and neutering. However, an animal feeder claimed the dogs, Joey and Yellow, were never brought back.
A complainant who visited Deonar abattoir was informed the dogs were fit for release. The veterinary van claimed it dropped them outside the TCS campus, citing entry restrictions. Since then, the dogs have been missing, and activists from the Pure Animal Lovers (PAL) Foundation have approached MIDC police, alleging illegal relocation.
Sources said the veterinary team has been searching for the dogs for six days to avoid legal trouble. Relocating community animals without authorisation is an offence under sections 11(1)(a) and 11(1)(i) of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Despite activists urging MIDC police to act, no FIR has been filed.
Roshan Pathak, an animal rights advisor at PAL Foundation, said, “This unlawful relocation violates the rights and well-being of these dogs. Earlier this month, I urged Deonar abattoir officials to follow government guidelines when they attempted to take stray dogs from Cooper Hospital without documentation. These repeated violations show disregard for animal welfare.”
The Free Press Journal contacted Kalimpasha Pathan, head of Deonar abattoir, who declined to comment, while Dr Sachin Kulkarni did not respond.
